Tavola, the Beginning
by Tommehhh
Summary: AU My friends as a mafia family. When a devastating evil force comes back from the past to take over the world, Chelsea Tavola must take her place as the next heir in the Tavola family.
1. Chapter 1

"Long ago, 400 years to be exact, a deadly war raged between two very powerful mafias. The first mafia was the Tavola. A gang comprised of deadly warriors from all over the world, it was a force to be reckoned with. The leader, Carmela Tavola, was a beautiful lady whose luxurious, blonde hair stretched to her lower back. She was the heir to a rather rich family, old money of course, and she used her fame and fortune to thrust herself into the underground world. Inherited from her bloodline was the Orange dieing will flame, a power that turned people into gods. She decided that if she was going to run a mafia, she would need to start with subordinates. She named herself and her first six subordinates after different stages of the weather. She named herself the Sky; The one who engulfs everything.

Tabitha Romano was chosen to be her second in command. She was a powerful spell caster. Labeled a witch in many parts of Italy, she used her 'magic' to swindle and steal from all over the country. It was Carmela who understood the potential of such a powerful woman. She immediately decided to hire Tabitha to turn her mafia into a powerhouse. She was the mist; The one who cannot be caged. By reality, or any other means.

Takashi A**karui** was the third member of Carmela's mafia. Born in Okinawa, Japan, he was a police officer trained in the use of Tae Kwon Do. He relocated to Italy after the Tavola family forced an offer onto him that he couldn't refuse: Join Tavola and become part of the soon to be most influential family of all time, or watch your family get massacred before your eyes. Takashi, a defender of the peace, was extremely reluctant to become involved in the mafia, but he had no choice. He became the sun; The one that illuminates everything.

Pierre Foudre was the next member to be chosen. He was a French man, trained in the art of killing. He was a murderer for hire, an assassin, who used his signature chain whip to cut down his targets like wheat. He worked for whoever had the highest amount of money, and changed loyalty within seconds whenever anyone bid higher. Carmela just happened to become the highest bidder that he had ever dealt with. He became the lightning; The one who strikes harshly.

Yuri Feng came not long after him. She hailed from China. Yuri was born into royalty as she was the princess of her nation. Raised to be prim, proper, and sophisticated, at night she was anything but that. When the sun set every evening, she trained herself in the art of the sword. She became quite efficient in the use of the jian, a Chinese, one handed, straight sword. Dawning a disguise, she became stealing from her own castle and providing for the poor. The Chinese army eventually proved too great for one woman to handle, and she was caught and ordered to be executed. It was then that Carmela came to her, offering her release for Yuri's service in her mafia. Of course, Yuri agreed, and Carmela ordered her already growing mafia into action. With but four members, she was able fend off the Imperial Army of China as well as smuggle Yuri out of the country. She became the rain; The one that washes away everything.

Josh Smith joined the Tavola from England. He was heavily known throughout the land for being one of the best fencers in the country. His rapier was his trusted weapon, and with it, he could conduct a symphony orchestra. Cutting the wings off of flies, stabbing pressure points, nothing was too much of a feat for Josh. It didn't take long for news of Josh's fame to reach Carmela. The moment she heard of his tremendous success she decided that she HAD to have him. And who would say no to the mafia? He became the cloud; the one who cannot be caught and goes his own way.

Russel Williams was the final member to join Tavola. A pirate by nature, he sailed the Caribbean as captain of the "Red Storm" ship. Russel was a master of bullets. A rifle, handgun, sniper rifle, it didn't matter. If it had gun powder he could use it to lethal extent. The "Red Storm" was feared by many. It was said that if a ship came into the line of sight of the red-flagged ship, then that ship would never be seen again. One woman and one woman alone had enough guts to take on Russel Williams: Carmela Tavola. She single handily defeated his crew and took over his ship. Out of humiliation, Russel joined Tavola, but he died vowing that he would get revenge. He became the storm; the one who blows everything away.

Carmela used this group of vastly different but powerful warriors to bring Italy to it's knees. She was determined to rewrite Italy in her own image. However, there was one very great obstacle in her way: The Empire of the East. Dominating the entire country of Russia, known then as the Ottomon empire, was the mafia named Oscurita. Oscurita was headed by Nero, a man who originated from an Italian family but traveled East during the beginning of Carmela's reign over Italy. It was here where he came to power. Nero was armed with the black flame, an extremely deadly version of the dying will flame. Nero's army was lead by four generals: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They answered their code names: Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death.

Pestilence was a sick looking, but a deadly individual. He had pure white hair, a pale complexion, and his body was composed of nothing but bones. He wore a white sheet around his body. As a weapon, he used a bow to launch arrows at his opponents. Pestilence laced the arrow head of his arrow with deadly diseases, giving him an incredibly fast method to spread plagues. It was no mystery how he became known as Pestilence.

Nero's next general was War. He was a rather muscular fellow, with crimson hair. He wore a Roman-looking warrior's outfit. On his back was a double edged sword crafted out of pure ruby. He commanded his own, personal army. He was an amazing general who could quickly and easily come up with complex battle strategies.

After War came Famine. He was one of the biggest men alive during his time. Famine wrapped a sheet around his body much like Pestilence. However unlike Pestilence, Famine was forced to use a sheet because his sheer size didn't allow him to fit into any clothes. He had a near endless stomach. One of his abilities was to reduce a city's food supply to rations by simply eating everything. Fitting with his theme of gluttony, he could also absorb the life energy from his enemies. Through this great consumption of energy, he gained tremendous amounts of strength.

Nero's last general was the greatest assassin that ever lived. It was said that this man could start a holocaust with his bare hands. He was named accordingly: Death. He cut down lives, innocent or not, with his only weapon, a scythe. The Four Horsemen followed a sort of 'Chain of Command' with each general surpassing the previous one in power and skill. Death was the top of this chain and he was feared and respected by the three generals who came before him.

In a desperate attempt to stop Nero, Carmela held one last stand against Nero. She sent her six guardians against his four generals, however the results were disastrous. Her guardians were defeated swiftly by the well oiled machine known as Oscurita. Carmela and her guardians were forced to retreat back to her the Tavola's castle in Italy.

Nero, realizing that he would gain total control of Italy if he took control of the Tavola castle, invaded Italy with the Four Horsemen as well as the other members of Oscurita. With so many powerful beings coming together, he had effectively created an army. Carmela, in response, sent out her own mafia to meet Oscurita at Italy's borders.

The boss of Oscurita expected this, however he held no reservations about crossing Italy's border, even with the impending war. He had no fears, he knew he would win. When the two mafia's, now international super powers, armies met, Carmela found out very fast that the entirety of Oscurita was armed with the black flame.

On the front lines, Tavola was massacred. The powerful black flame proved too much for the weaker flames of Carmela's army. Her guardians stayed at the castle in case Oscurita managed to break through the Tavola's army, although it was heavily thought that this wouldn't happen by Carmela. She was proved to be wrong, however, when news that the last of her army had fallen reached her ears.

News was also delivered that Nero's army was retreating, but Carmela knew this was just a strategy to prevent any unnecessary casualties on his part and that more powerful warriors were coming. As predicted, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as well as Nero himself showed up at the castle's door steps. Carmela decided that it was her turn to make an appearance on the front lines, as well as her six guardians.

Convinced that she still had an advantage, she and her miniature army attacked with all its might. Nero took on Carmela while his four generals took on her six guardians. Nero proved himself once again, however, and single handily defeated Carmela while his generals beat her guardians within an inch of their lives. Nero offered her a choice; Escape Italy with your lives and never appear again, or die now with honor.

Carmela, in reply, said, "Even if I don't walk away with my life, I won't allow you to become the extinction of Tavola. Unknown to the world, I gave birth to a child only a month ago. She will continue the name of Tavola! Tavola will live in each and everyone of my guardian's bloodlines! I'm sorry, my family, but when you swore your allegiance to me, you swore your lives! Now give them to me in the name of Tavola to destroy the evil known as Nero and Oscurita!"

Then, she forcefully drained each and one of her guardian's dieing will flames and used the harmonizing power of the orange dieing will flame to combine them into one. The seven flames together produced a pure white flame, a new breed of flame and the strongest. She then absorbed the newly created flame into her body, and with it, all of its power. The flame appeared on her forehead as her dieing will fueled it. Carmela also grew bright white wings made of flames on her back, giving her a resemblance to an angel.

With a simple wave of her hand, she burned the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse alive in a brilliant shower of white flames. Nero, fearing for his life for the first time since the began his campaign, unleashed the entire power of his black flame. Carmela, using her white flame, defended herself against the blast, however it used up much of her power. Knowing that she no longer had the energy to kill Nero, she settled for the next best thing. She reached inside of Nero with her white flames, and pulled out the black flame from his body, leaving him powerless. She then separated it into seven very powerful dieing will flames, orange, blue, green, indigo, yellow, purple, and red. Carmela then separated her white dieing will flame into the original seven and combined them with the flames created from Nero, which were then planted into the future generations of Tavola, forever to pass on from parent to child. She then used the last of her power to seal Nero's body at a faraway, yet to be discovered land, far, far away from Italy.

What Carmela didn't anticipate was that years later, this land would be discovered as North America. The United States to be exact. She had sealed the most powerful man in the world in the busiest place on Earth," finished Argenta Tavola, the ninth generation boss of Tavola.

She was an older, sickly woman. She was wearing an elegant gown, not something suitable for the boss of a mafia, but comfortable against her old bones. Her hair was a shiny silver color, no doubt the graying of the glorious blonde hair she used to sport, and it cascaded down her back and over her shoulders. Her skin was shriveled from her long life and her eyes were blank and held little fire in them.

"That is a horrible, hidden past, milady. However, what does that have to do with us? The flames are still sealed, yes?" asked a small little baby, with a yellow pacifier.

"I'm afraid that my daughter as well as my guardian's children have moved to the States to give birth. I am not as strong as I used to be for when I gave birth to the next generation, the powerful sky flame created from Nero was passed down to my daughter. And now, that flame was passed down to her daughter. Reborn, all seven flames sealed from Nero are now in North America! There is no doubt in my mind that Nero, even now, ponders how to get his hands on them and revive himself!" Argenta explained.

"That's a stage set for disaster. What would you like me to do?" Reborn asked.

"Go. Go to the states and find Chelsea Tavola, my granddaughter. Train her to become the 10th Tavola boss. Help her find her guardians. If she can defend herself, she might be able to protect the flame. If you fail, Nero will resurrect himself and begin his campaign all over again, and that is something this world isn't ready for. War ships, fighter jets, nuclear bombs, they are nothing compared to the black flame." Argenta spoke with urgency and fear.

"Very well. I will be on the first flight to the Americas tomorrow. Good day, milady." Reborn didn't say another word, and left Argenta's office.


	2. Chapter 2

"Over four hundred years of this damn prison!" Nero screamed from deep inside a cave.

The cave that Nero resided in was deep inside the Rocky Mountains. He didn't exactly know where, but he knew they had been his home for the last four hundred years. His skinless bones were fused within the hard rock of the mountains. Certain parts of Nero's appendages were visible, but the most uncovered part of his body was his skull. A constant drop of water dripping from a crack above his head had managed to erode away the Earth enough for him to at least feel what air actually felt like.

When Lady Carmela forcefully ripped the black flame from his body he had managed to seal away a sliver deep inside himself. While his body rotted away, the evil dieing will inside him managed to keep Nero's soul attatched to his body.

"I can feel it! My beautiful flames that Carmela took away from me are just a weeks journey away! I think we can all agree that it's time we escape this vile prison!"

He shifted his naked skull to the left to see a small pile of bones. They were unresponsive. He then turned his head to his right. Another quiet set of bones.

"I see. You weren't as lucky to retain any of your powers. My body..and my soul..Both are much too powerful to be binded together by such a week black flame. I need all seven of my flames to be combined together again if I hope to escape this prison. But who will gather them for me?"

He looked over at the piles of bones.

"Yes! I might be to powerful to sustain with such a weak flame, but the deadly horsemen are competent enough to retrieve my flames for me, aren't they?"

Nero's blank eye sockets began blowing with the dark light known as the black flame. He began charging the little power he had left, trying to separate it into a sustainable life force for him and one of his comrades. His useless jaw began to open, slowly. A dark flame, resembling more of smoke than an actual flame, began to seep out. Taking hold of a scrambled skeleton, the flame levitated the live less bones and began to set them in place. Once the skeleton had been completed the heart formed from nothingness inside the rib cage. Other organs began growing straight from the heart. Muscles grew from the bones and then a network of veins and arteries intertwined themselves between his bones and organs. Once the innards of the body formed a blanket of skin wrapped itself tightly around the corpse. Hair grew from the scalp, and a white sheet wrapped around the body. Once the black smoke was absorbed, the now living male dropped to the ground.

"Ah! Pestilence! It's been ages since I've seen you in the flesh!" Nero yelled, his skinless face smiling.

Pestilence's newly acquired skin was pale and clung tightly to his skin. His hair was pure white and hung down past his eyes and looked like it would break with a simple touch. A white sheet was wrapped around his body in the shape of a toga and a golden wreath sat perched upon his head. His feet were bare and his bones brittle. Pestilence's body was heavily malnourished.

The sick looking warrior brought his shaking body to a standing position. He turned his head to the talking skeleton in the cave wall.

"My, my, Nero. How the mighty have fallen," Pestilence said, smirking.

"If I were you I would hold my tongue, I still have enough power to bury you beneath the mantle of the Earth," Nero retorted, clenching his only free hand.

"Oh, I know, I know," Pestilence took a few steps towards Nero, "but it seems that the great Carmela did quite a number on you."

"Indeed she did. But she sacrificed her life in doing so. It's been just over 400 years since that fateful showdown."

"400 years!" Pestilence screamed, "Then what has happened to Tavola?"

"Tavola is still alive and kicking, I'm afraid."

"Why did you revive me, Master Nero?" Pestilence asked.

"After Carmela wiped out you and your comrades, she turned her eyes on me. She didn't have enough power to take me out so she stripped me of my flames. She divided the black flame into the seven flames of the sky and sealed them within her children. I can only assume that the flames were passed down through generations. I can feel them longing for me, not far from here." Nero answered with a spiteful voice. "I have just enough power to survive..and to revive the weakest of my generals."

"I see. And you want me to retrieve these flames for you?"

"That was the plan."

"You seem rather..Indisposed. Perhaps I should say no and just walk away?" Pestilence turned his back to Nero.

"It's up to you. But I should let you know that if you decide to betray me I will send you to a hell you will never forget," Nero chucked with a very hearty laugh as his eyes began to glow black.

Pestilence put his hand on his stomach and winced in pain. "You're boiling my insides?"

"You were born from my black flames. My black flames are connected to my soul. Your body is apart of me!" Nero continued his horrendous laughter.

"Very well then, I guess I have no choice but to help you out," Pestilence let go of his stomach once he felt the pain subside.

A black flame erupted from Nero's teeth and scarred the ground. The flames burned across the solid ground, forming a shape that slowly became more detailed. The shape was new to both Pestilence and Nero.

"This isn't Europe," Pestilence noted, realizing it was a map.

"Carmela sent me to an unknown land. Unfortunately for her, this land soon became known," Nero scowled.

"How far away from the East Empire are we?"

"The East Empire is no more. But I suspect we're on the other side of the Earth."

"I see. Which flame would you like me to locate first?" Pestilence asked.

"I want you to fine the Sky Flame. It's the most powerful and will be owned by a descendant of Carmela. Naturally, the other 6 flames will probably be close by."

"Do you know where the Sky Flame is?"

Two tiny black flames appeared on the map of North America. One was on the west coast, in the Rocky Mountains, and the other was on the east coast, in present day Virginia.

"I suspect there will be more detailed maps out in the world. Find whoever owns this flame. The black flame inside of you will resonate when you get close." Nero said.

"Very well. I won't let you down, master."

"The black flame inside you is from my own power. You will soon find out that your own abilities will be greatly enhanced."

Nero unleashed a powerful shock wave from his body, carving through the cave. A separate branch blasted through the mountain, creating an accessible exit from Nero's prison.

"Go, Pestilence! Help me take control of the world that should have been mine 400 hundred years ago!"

Pestilence smiled and turned towards the exit. He launched forward with a single foot running for the opening. Once he made it through, he stopped. He took a moment to inhale the fresh air, enjoying the smell and feel.

"Tavola, you'll regret that you ever messed with Oscurita!"


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of the hula hoop hitting the ground wasn't new to her, but that didn't stop her from picking it up again. Placing it on her waist, she began alternating her hips from side to side. The hoop bounced off her hips and began rotating. Slowly at first, the hoop picked up more and more speed before the yellow and orange stripes blended into red. Sweat launched off her body and landed on the dirt below her. She shifted her weight and the hoop climbed her body. While sticking one arm up, the spinning toy rose past her shoulders and went all the way up to her wrist.

"If I can't do the simplest tricks," she gasped, "I won't be able to make the hula hoop team!"

Her hair was golden blonde and stopped just at her hair. Bright blue eyes stared determinedly at the hoop as it rotated around her wrist. She was below average in height, just over 5 feet. Her stomach was small, but her boobs huge. Her pale skin was turning light pink as it absorbed the sun. Draped over her body was a red dress that cut off before her knees with a white, short sleeved under shirt. She was standing just outside her school, which was painted pure white and was two stories tall. The architecture looked fairly modern.

"Good morning, Chelsea Tavola," said a boyish voice behind her. The sudden interuption startled her, and she dropped her hula hoop to the ground.

Turning around, she was surprised to see who the voice belonged too,"H hello, Alfred."

Alfred was, to say the least, a very handsome young man. He had black, spiky hair. His clothes were simple, just a white T shirt and a pair of basket ball shorts. His body was covered in sweat, like Chelsea's, as he had just finished track practice. His body was extremely fit, muscles were apparent on his arms and through his T shirt and his skin was a dark tan.

"It looks like you're working extremely hard," he smiled. "You look cute when you're working hard."

"T thank you," Chelsea stammered, at a loss for words.

"Ha," he smirked, "would you like to join me after you're done practicing and get something to eat?"

Almost saying yes from pure shock, she realized why she was practicing. "I'm sorry, but I have tryouts in about an hour. I can't."

"Well that's fine. Maybe I'll come to observe your try outs?"

"That'd be great! I mean, yeah, sure, come."

"Great. I'm going to go shower, I'll see you in an hour," he said, smiling and turning away. He walked away from her and moments later he was out of sight.

"It appears that you have quite the crush on him."

"I really do, he's so handsome," Chelsea replied, not realizing who she was talking to. She turned her head to the right to see who she had just answered to, but there was no one there. She turned her head to left, but there was no one there either. Startled, she quickly turned around and was surprised when, once again, she spotted no one.

"I must be hearing things," she said, frowning.

"Down here!"

Looking down, she almost screamed as she realized a baby had just been talking to her. At least, he was the size of a baby. He had a rather masculine but still babyish face. He was wearing a tuxedo and wrapped around his neck was a yellow pacifier. The oddest feature was probably the green lizard perched on top of his fedora.

"Who are you!" she yelled.

"My name is Reborn!" he smiled.

"Reborn? Am I suppose to know you?" she asked.

"Not at the moment. But you'll soon learn that I'm very important to your survival."

"My survival? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Chelsea Tavola, you are in grave danger. I'm here to protect you."

"In danger?" she gasped, "Danger from what?"

"You are the next in line for the boss of the Tavola mafia," he replied, matter of factly.

"The mafia? I'm not part of any mafia!" she screamed. "You must be on some drugs, kid."

Reborn smirked. He jumped up, higher than most babies should be able to, and aimed a kick for Chelsea's head. Chelsea blocked it by raising her left arm swiftly. She then countered by launching her right fist towards the baby. Reborn kicked off Chelsea's fist and back flipped, landing on the ground with a perfect pose.

"What the hell was that for!" Chelsea screamed.

"You may not realize it, but you just deflected and counter attacked an A class hit man, the blood of the mafia runs through you," he said, turning his back to her.

"My mother sent me to several martial arts classes when I was a kid. There isn't anything weird about that. What's weird is why a baby just attacked me and why a baby is referring to himself as a hit man!" she was clenching her firsts, obviously fed up with the nonsense.

"Don't you think it's a little odd that she enrolled you at such an early age?"

"She wanted me to learn how to defend myself."

"Did she ever tell you what she wanted you to defend yourself from?"

"From rapists and burglars and stuff."

"Did she tell you that or did you just assume those were the reasons she sent you to very expensive, advanced classes?" he smirked.

"How do you know what kind of class she put me in?"

"The fact that you don't know my name or even what the name you cary means tells me that your mother wanted a very different life for you. But I'm afraid with the pending disaster, I can't allow you to grow up as a normal child." he turned back to her, with a look of regret on his face.

"I'm already normal! None of what you're saying is making sense!"

"Long ago there was a very powerful mafia named Oscurita. Oscurita's only purpose in life was to gain control and dominate the world through an evil empire. The evil mafia was armed with a very powerful weapon, called the black flame. Your ancestor, Carmela Tavola, gave her life in protecting what she cared about. She obliterated the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Oscurita's four main generals. She then used the entirety of her powers to strip the leader of Oscurita, Nero, of the black flame. She separated the black flame into seven, very powerful dieing will flames that she passed down throughout the generations. After Nero was weakened, she sealed him away in what is now known as the Rocky Mountains. You are the most current generation of Tavola, which means you are the current holder of Nero's power. Your mother must have kept you from the mafia to protect the flame you hold, God knows how she found out about it," Reborn explained.

"You've got to be kidding me," Chelsea groaned. Her head was swimming and she was feeling weak. "There's no way my mom would keep a secret like this. And even if you were telling the truth, you said Nero is sealed now. I'm not in any danger."

"Oh, but you are. Nero was sealed in this very country. Even now I can only assume that his forces are attempting to retrieve you!" Reborn's voice became desperate.

"You're crazy! You truly are crazy! People can't just come back from the dead!" Chelsea began to back up. "Listen, I'm sure you've got a ton of more stories you'd like to tell me, but I have try outs in a little bit. I've got to run."

"Here, if you truly don't believe me, at least take this. Hopefully it will help protect you," Reborn sighed, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a sliver ring with a bright orange jewel. Inside the jewel was a crest of some sort. The crest was composed of a Phoenix bird with two guns aimed at it.

"What's this?" she asked, enthralled by the beauty. She reached out with her fingers and delicately picked it up. Placing it in the palm of her hand, she examined it to authenticate the silver. Once satisfied, she slipped it on her right ring finger. "It's not really my style."

"Oh, trust me, it is. It will enhance your dieing will."

"My dieing will?"

"It's the driving force for everything a mafia member does. Your dieing will is one of the most powerful in the modern world."

"Thanks for the silver. I'm sure I'll make some good cash when I pawn it. But I really have to get going. Please, don't ever talk to me again," Chelsea turned and began running for her school's gymnasium.

"So this is the newest Tavola boss? She reminds me a lot of Carmela."

Reborn turned his head to see who was speaking. His eyes immediately widened in shock and a look of fear replaced his usually calm exterior. What he was looking at was an incredibly sick man, but he knew more than that. He knew that know matter how sick this man looked that he was nothing to be messed with.

"P Pestilence!"

The sick man smirked," Oh, so you recognize me, Arcobaleno?"

"The Tavola castle walls are lined with paintings of the four horsemen. How did you find her!" he demanded.

"The black flame coursing through my blood reacts strongly to Master Nero's flame. I knew the general location of her, and then my flame began acting up. I couldn't exactly pin point her location, however, but everything was settled once I saw a baby with a yellow pacifier stalking a blonde headed girl. It's been a while since I've seen an Arcobaleno. I have to admit, the last holder of the sun pacifier was a bit taller. Why don't you tell me your name, new holder of the sun?" Pestilence spoke calmly.

"Reborn. Hitman Reborn! And I've been entrusted by Milady Argenta to protect her grandaughter!"

"Relax, relax. Even I know it's suicide to attack an Arcobaleno. It seems as those the current holder of the Sky flame doesn't even know what the mafia is? That will just make it easier when I rip it from her dead body."

The green lizard perched on top of Reborn's head began glowing several different colors, before completely losing its shape. Once reformed, it placed itself in Reborn's hand as a green pistol.

"Perhaps I could try my luck anyway," the corner of Pestilence's mouth curved upward as he noticed the challenge.

Reborn waisted no time in pulling the trigger and immediately fired off three shorts in Pestilence's direction. Pestilence moved from side to side, dodging each bullet. The baby hitman jumped from the ground and aim his foot at Pestilence, but the sick man once again smirked. In a blinding display of reflexes he brought his left leg up and whipped it towards Reborn. It not only smashed through Reborn's attack, but it also launched him backward. Reborn's limp body flew through the air, smacking into a sturdy tree trunk.

"Come on, I brought an entire country to its knees, do you think a baby would pose that much of a threat to me? That's absurd! After 400 years, I've still got it. I won't finish you off. You can lay there unconscious while I go retrieve the real prize!"

Inside the gym, Chelsea was presenting a stylish display for her coach. She worked her hula hoop up her body to her neck, and then down to her ankles. She jumped one foot out of the hoop and raised the still working ankle up. Balancing on one foot, she spun the hoop around with her raised leg. She then launched her leg up, letting the hoop fly off into the air, grabbing it with her right hand.

"Very good, Chelsea!" yelled her coach as she clapped her hands. She was wearing a golf T shirt, running shorts, and hand her brown hair pulled back into a tight pony tail.

"You really think so coach?" Chelsea grinned.

"Indeed I do. Go wash up, Chelsea. I think anyone would agree you made the team." 

The blonde haired teenager smiled one last time before turning around to head for the locker rooms. Her smile widened as she realized that a certain boy was quickly closing in on her. His hands slid out of his pockets and came together in a few short claps.

"I knew you could do it," Alfred said, sliding his hands back in his pockets.

"I was really nervous, but I wanted it so bad. I don't know how, but I did it," she looked down at the ground, truly wondering how she had perfected a routine in a matter of minutes. She glanced down at the ring on her right hand. Perhaps Reborn had been right about her dieing will?

" My my, you're even prettier up close, Holder of the Sky flame."

Chelsea winced at the sound of the word flame. Was Reborn back? No. This voice was patronizing her, she could tell by the tone. She turned around, and instinctively hid behind Alfred when she saw who had just spoken to her. Even though he was an adult, he was already 10 times weirder than Reborn.

"W who are you? I thought you were Reborn," she asked, nervously.

The man let out an echoing laugh, "Reborn's dead. My name is Pestilence, but you can refer to me as your murderer."

"Hey, you! Do you have a permit to be in here!" Chelsea's coach yelled, running for the trio.

Pestilence frowned, obviously bothered by the interruption. He stuck both his arms out to his sides. In his left hand, a bow materialized completely from black flames. In his right, an arrow. He brought his two hands together, placing the arrow on the string of the bow. Pulling back slightly on the string, he aimed his arrow at the running coach. Pestilence let go of the string and the coach didn't even have time to scream as the arrow sliced through her body like butter.

"Coach!" Chelsea's scream shattered the air. She had just witnessed someone get murdered!

The rest of the hula hoop team turned to run, however Pestilence was already on it. Three black arrows formed in his right, one in between each of his fingers. The obsidian bow released all three of the arrows at the same time. Three more bloody bodies hit the floor, cut down like wheat.

"Oh, God, no!" the Tavola Teenager's body became numb as she realized what was happening. Reborn had been right, Nero had sent someone after what was inside her. These people were dieing because of her, and the one person that could possibly help her was dead.

"Come on! We've got to run!" Alfred yelled as Pestilence glanced in their director.

"Oh, yes, please run. Make this a little more interesting!" The sick assassin shot an arrow upwards. The arrow separated into several different flaming arrows, raining down on the rest of the screaming teenagers. Cheerleaders, basketball players, runners. Athlete after athlete was being struck down.

Alfred grabbed Chelsea's arm and they began a mad dash for the girl's locker room. Alfred opened the door for Chelsea and shoved her in, shutting the door behind them. Once inside, he turned the two locks on the door in a vain effort to keep them safe.

"Shhh, shhh, calm down," he said as he wrapped his arms around Chelsea.

"W why is this happening!" she choked out through sobs.

"Listen, we'll figure that out later. We just have to survive now. Are there any other exits from the girl's locker room?"

"Over there," she raised a finger, "That door leads to a hallway. The hallway leads to the cafeteria which has a door to the outside."

"Good, let's " he was cut off as the locker room door was blown open from an explosion. Barely visible through the smoke was Pestilence, standing in the door way. "Go! Go!"

The two teenagers burst into the hallway. Shoes pounded on the pure white tile. Their hearts were pounding in their chests. Their brains were telling them only one thing: Run! When they reached the end of the hallway, they turned left. A few yards in front of them was the cafeteria.

"Chelsea!"

Chelsea looked down down and almost tripped once the baby in front of her registered in her head. He looked the same as when she saw him a half hour ago. The only difference was he was carrying a bright green gun.

"Reborn " one word was all she could get out. She was cut off when Reborn raised his hand and fired a single shot. She felt the hot steel penetrate her forehead. She fell to her knees, her eyes closing. Finally, the rest of her body crumpled to the ground. Everything was over.

"You bastard! Who the hell are you!" Alfred screamed, but the baby was gone. He heard foot steps behind him, so he turned to see pestilence about six yards away. The athlete looked down, noticing a growing red stain on his white t shirt. "You bastard." he wheezed out as he fell to the ground next to Chelsea.

"What's this? The Tavola child is already dead? Who pulled the trigger? Oh well, I'll just take Master Nero's flame and be on my way."

Pestilence nudged Chelsea with his foot, turning her onto her back. He reached out with slim fingers, wrapping them around her neck. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.

"The hell! Reborn!" Pestilence hissed as he realized what had happened.

Gone was the fear in Chelsea's eyes, a fierce determination had taken its place. A small spark ignited on her forehead, growing into a great flame. Chelsea's clothes burned completely off, leaving her in a matching periwinkle bra and panties. She sunk her fingers into Pestilence's wrist, causing him to gasp in pain. With a simple movement he was sent hurtling down the hallway, back into the gym.

Chelsea hopped to her feet, looking at the unmoving corpse next to her. She squinted her eyes and noticed hard, raged breathing. Good. That meant he wasn't dead, but she had little time to finish Pestilence off. With a single leap she had propelled herself back into the gym, scanning the injured and dieing kids for the murderer.

"Up here!" Chelsea looked up and realized Pestilence had wrapped his legs around a hanging light. He had a deadly, explosive arrow ready and aimed at her. As soon as he let go of the thin string, she jumped back. Narrowly missing her, the arrow left a deep crater in the gym floor.

Pestilence jumped off the light and gracefully landed on the sturdy floor. He began rapidly materializing and firing arrows at Chelsea. She reacted quickly, moving from side to side. She avoided every last projectile, however the wall behind her was taking a beating. If she didn't win soon the entire building would collapse around her.

She ran forward and used all the muscles in her legs to jump above the sick man's head. She swung her right leg down as she fell, preparing to land with all her weight on Pestilence. Pestilence back flipped out of the way, and Chelsea's foot came in contact with nothing but floor. Splinters of wood and concrete flew through the air as another crater was formed.

With another display of blinding reflexes, Pestilence slammed both fists into Chelsea's torso. Her body flew back into the bleachers, sending more deadly shrapnel into the air. She groaned from the pain, grabbing her side with her right hand. How was a single man this powerful? She looked to her right and noticed her hula hoop a couple yards away and an idea quickly formed in her head.

With all of her power, she rose from her resting spot and made a mad dash for the hoop. Pestilence began firing more arrows, missing each and every time. Great fireballs were sent in to the air as the fiery arrows collided with the ground. When Chelsea reached the hoop, she immediately snatched it up. Raising it above her head, her ring began glowing bright orange. Dieing will flames snaked out of the ring, intertwining themselves with the hoop. After the process had been completed, she was holding a bright ring of fire.

"Oh? What's this?" Pestilence laughed. "Some last minute attempt at surviving?"

"You wish! I will get revenge for what you did to my friends and this school! You will burn away with the intense dieing will of the Tavola!"

Chelsea raised the hoop behind her head, before throwing it with all of her might. The fiery ring sliced through the air at an incredible speed, but Pestilence didn't falter. He prepared another arrow, however this time he didn't release it. He began feeding it with his energy, charging it to full power. Once Chelsea's hoop was close enough, he let go of the string. The missile fired, colliding with the flaming hoop. The two powerful forces of good and evil fought for dominance, sending off shock waves, shattering windows. When it appeared that Chelsea's power was the most dominate, the battle ended in a draw. The arrow was redirected the the left while the hoop was redirected to the right. Intense fireballs climbed the walls of the gym as the two attacks collided with the concrete.

"It appears that was a draw. But lets see you do that again," Pestilence laughed as he raised another arrow, charging it with power. However, instead of unleashing another attack, Chelsea's dieing will flame fizzled out. She collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

"I'm assuming Reborn didn't tell you there was a time limit on such an intense power, did he?" Pestilence pulled his string back, fully prepared to end Chelsea while she was unconscious. Before he let go, he heard a click. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise. This clicking was something that he was all too familiar with. He looked from the corner of his eye to see Reborn himself standing on his shoulder, aiming his green pistol at his temple.

"I suggest you put your weapon down, Pestilence," Reborn said firmly.

"And if I don't?"

"Then I'll put a bullet in your brain."

Pestilence let his weapon dissolve into black smoke, frowning.

"It appears you've got me, Reborn," Pestilence laughed.

"This isn't a laughing matter. You will be sent to Italy and interrogated by 9th Tavola Argenta."

"I don't think so!" Pestilence's body began emitting a black light. Reborn back flipped off his shoulder, not wanting to be caught in whatever trick was being pulled. The sickly body ignited itself in black flames, dissolving into the air.

"Don't worry, Reborn," echoed his voice through the air, "I'll be back for the child."

Reborn frowned as he surveyed the damage. All around him were kids either dead or dieing. And Chelsea Tavola was completely unconscious. He had a lot of work to do before she would be able to save the world.


	4. Chapter 4

Chelsea slowly opened her eyes. Blurry at first, her eyesight eventually focused on the room around her. She noticed she was the only one in the room. The walls were painted white and were littered with bulletin boards. A constant beeping sound invaded her ears. Turning her head to the right, she noticed an I. V. drip as well as a life support system. Her bed was stiff and the scent of a hospital was increasingly apparent in the air.

Leaning forward, she had to cover her mouth to stop herself from screaming in pain. The future 10th Tavola leaned back into her pillow, breathing heavily. Reaching down, she parted the light blue hospital gown she was wearing, revealing her body to be peppered with black and blue bruises.

"I think you should wait a little longer before you even attempt to leave," said a high, babyish voice.

She almost cringed at the sound. Looking to her right, she saw the one and only Reborn. He was wearing a white doctor's coat and a mask. Around his neck was his signature yellow pacifier. On top of his head was a green chameleon, Leon.

"W where am I?" Chelsea managed to speak.

"At a hospital in downtown Virginia Beach. Pestilence did quite a number on you," he said. Chelsea couldn't exactly tell, but she had hoped he was showing some emotion underneath his medical mask.

"Alfred! My friends!' Chelsea screamed, lurching forward. She felt a sharp pain in her midsection, causing her to gasp. Recently closed wounds opened up again and she could fee her muscles straining at the movement.

"Relax!" Reborn shouted, jumping up and somehow pinning Chelsea down with his own weight. "Tavola has some of the best medics in the world. Most of your friends were able to be saved and will make a complete recovery. Even Alfred."

She let out a heavy sigh of relief. Her eyes became moist as she realized what had happened. All the destruction, all the pain. Because of her. Would it still have happened if she had just listened to Reborn in the first place?

"What exactly happened back there?" she asked. She remembered seeing Reborn, but after that nothing. She had thought she had died, but then a sudden surge of will erupted from her body.

"I shot you with a dieing will bullet," he replied calmly. As if sensing her next question, he continued, "When hit by the bullet, you die. However, if you die with a regret, you are brought back in dieing will mode. Dieing will mode completely releases your external limiters, allowing you to perform tasks you normally wouldn't be able to."

"Regret?"

"When you died, you regretted not having the power to save Alfred and the rest of your friends."

"Oh. I see," Chelsea said, looking down at her blanket. "I can't go back, can I?"

"Of course you can go back. My proposition for you to become the next leader of Tavola doesn't mean you have to leave your friends and family behind."

"That's not what I meant. I can't ever go back to a normal life. Pestilence, as well as the rest of Oscurita will be after me for as long as I live. I don't ever want to endanger Alfred like that again," by now Chelsea could feel the hot sting of tears streaming down her face. Her life had changed forever.

"Cheer up, Chelsea, it appears you have a visitor."

She looked over to her left, where Reborn had just been standing moments before. He was gone. Hearing a knock at the door, she remembered what Reborn had said before he had left. Without waiting for a response, a man walked in carrying several text books. He was short in stature, almost as short as Chelsea, but his age was apparent on his face. At least 25. His hair was brown and at least shoulder length, but it was tied back into a tight pony tail. A purple vest was draped over a white t shirt, and his blue jeans had holes in them. Instead of normal shoes, the visitor wore a pair of flip flops.

"Mr. Sessh!" she gasped as she greeted her world history teacher.

"Chelsea Tavola," he nodded. "I heard about what happened in the gym. I was hoping you hadn't been banged up too bad, but it seems you were. I didn't want you to fall behind, so I brought you some text books. I have a feeling you won't be back for a while."

"That's thoughtful, I guess. But you're right, I won't be back for a while. I have business that I need to take care of."

Mr. Sessh walked over to a padded chair next to Chelsea's bed. Setting the books and papers on her window seal, he scanned her body up and down with his eyes. How had she fended him off with these injuries, he thought. It was then that his eyes settled on her right, ring finger. He narrowed his eyes, recognizing the symbol of the phoenix right away. So they HAD found her.

" What kind of business?" he asked, adding heavy inflection to the word kind.

"Super secret business!" she grinned from ear to ear.

"I see. Chelsea, I think you need a little protection. After all, you were banged up pretty bad."

"I don't think I do. I can protect myself!"

This time it was Mr. Sessh's turn to grin from ear to ear, "Yes, yes, I was only teasing."

Mr. Sessh reached inside his purple vest, grabbing a small memo pad. Flipping it open, he grabbed a pen that was perched nicely on his ear lobe. Furiously, he began scribbling into his notebook. Once finished, he tore the page from the spiraling and placed it on top of Chelsea's desk.

"At any rate, I'd like for you to see this person."

"What will this person do for me?" she asked.

"Well it seems that you've gotten yourself in quite a mess. This girl, her name is Cat, will help you sort yourself out."

"Sort myself out?"

"Chelsea you and I both know your destiny has been changed forever. Cat will help you discover what has been changed. You'll soon find out that your past and your future will be forever intertwined. She lives in Delaware, in a small little country side village," Mr. Sessh said, standing up. He slipped his notepad inside his jacket and turned to leave. "This hospital that Reborn took you too is first rate and private. Spies, celebrities, politicians, they all go here. If I didn't know Reborn, I probably wouldn't have gotten in myself. With the constant stream of money, this hospital provides only the best treatment. You'll be out of here in about a day."

"Wait! Mr. Sessh, how do you know Reborn?"

"I'm a friend of your grandmother's," he said, turning his head just enough to flash a smile. With a final wave, he showed himself out, shutting the door behind him.

Chelsea frowned and looked down at her blanket, fiddling the hem with between her thumbs. She could barely remember her grandmother. A few visits here and there when she was a kid, but that was it. What she could remember was that her mother and grandmother used to argue all the time, but she couldn't remember about what. After a final, violent falling out, she stopped visiting. She sighed herself, trying to remember more. Eventually, she could feel her thoughts getting more and more distant before she found herself drifting off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chelsea opened her eyes, rubbing them roughly. The last 24 hours had been a blur to her. Tests, treatments, injections. She couldn't even remember some of the drugs that the doctor had injected her with.

Turning her head to the right, she looked out her tinted window. The green trees, the cows, the open plains. They were all blurring together. After presenting Reborn with the information provided to her by Mr. Sessh, he had immediately whisked her off to Delaware. Protesting at first, Chelsea quickly changed her mind when a limo had showed up to transport her.

The windows were slightly tinted from the inside, preventing too much light from reaching in, she noted. She noticed when she first stepped in that, from the outside, the windows had been completely blacked out. The back of the limo, where she was sitting, looked like it was quite a journey to the front. There were enough seats for at least twelve other people. Near the front of the town car was a raised, black window that separated her completely from her driver. She hadn't even met him. She let out a sharp whistle, wondering how much Reborn had shelled out of his pocket to afford this.

Oh, right, Reborn, she thought. Where was he? Scanning every seat with her eyes, she realized he wasn't any where to be seen. Perhaps he was driving? She quickly shook the thought of her head, knowing that his infant legs couldn't even reach the pedals. Maybe he had gone ahead to Delaware without her to check this mystery, destiny decider out by himself. Whatever the case, he would show up if she needed him.

Suddenly, the town car came to a stop. How long had she been sleeping for? The entire trip? It didn't matter, she had made it to her destination from the looks of it. Looking up at a sign, she noticed a sign said Arden, Delaware. The buildings were completely old fashioned, as if this village had been left untouched since Great Britain had colonized the east coast. Stone chimneys, a one room school building, a large but worn down library, and houses built completely out of timber told her how old the village really was. It was its own little slice of history.

A couple of children, about seven or eight years old, ran by her parked limo. They were wearing old fashioned clothes, maybe even hand made. It wasn't Halloween, was it? No Halloween was still several months away. It was if the entire town had been suspended in an area of time.

Stepping out of her town car, Chelsea realized she couldn't have any hope of fitting in. She was wearing a bright orange dress that stopped just above her knees. On her shoulders were frills that puffed up and her neck was low enough that cleavage began to show. The woman, she noticed, didn't even show their ankles from underneath their long, plain dresses. Her golden hair was cut short, wisps floating in front of her face with each tiny breeze. The woman here had their hair tied back in tight pony tails.

"We don't get visitors much around here. Ye must be lost," said a voice to her right.

She turned to greet who ever was showing her kindness, but she was speechless. He must have only been about 30 years old, but years of work had degraded his body to that of an old man. His head was covered by a fitted, brown, patched up hat. His clothes consisted of a vertical striped T shirt under blue overalls. His face was covered in wrinkles and his eyes were droopy and tired. A beard reached down to his stomach, pure white. Some how she could make out a smile.

"No, I'm pretty sure this is where I need to be right now," Chelsea said, brushing her hair behind her ear and reaching out with her right hand. "My name is Chelsea Tavola."

"My name is Jedadiah! Hunny, what kinda business you got here!" he grinned, grasping her hand tightly and shaking it.

"I'm looking for a person named Cat. You wouldn't happen to know her would you?"

Jedadiah's face immediately changed. His eyes brightened up and his smile was immediately dropped.

"Well, if that's the only business you got here, I'd thank you kindly to leave. You might even thank yourself if you just pack up and head out," he narrowed his eyes, releasing her hand.

Chelsea almost jumped as she heard something slam. Turning her eyes towards the village, she noticed every shop and home slam their doors shut. The window shutters were sealed tightly. Everyone left the streets.

"She is an evil entity, bewitched by magic. An evil curse was set upon her long ago."

"Magic? You've got to be kidding me. Show me where she is, I need to talk to her!" Chelsea was losing patience. This town appeared as if it had just been settled, and now a random guy was lecturing her about a cursed woman. Mr. Sessh wouldn't have sent me hear unless It was vital, she thought.

"Over there," he wheezed, pointing a bony, frail finger in the direction of a run down shack. Jedadiah narrowed his eyes even further, obviously turning his old fashioned hospitality into complete hatred.

"I see. It doesn't look much like much," as soon as Chelsea set her thoughts on the shack, the doors swung open. A gust of wind ripped through the village, tearing off shutters and demolishing weaker buildings. A dense cloud cover filled the sky, blocking out the sun. She couldn't believe her eyes, was a storm heading through? Then, a bright purple light began shining from inside the shack, bathing the entire village in its glow.

Suddenly, a giant centipede burst erupted from the shack with astounding speed. The length was never ending and it looked as if it could wrap around the village 10 fold. The most curious aspect of the creature was its head. Instead of fangs, there was the torso of a woman. She was completely naked, except for long black hair cascading down the front of her body, She was pale white and had beady, red eyes.

The centipede/human chimera weaved in and out of buildings, searching for something. Finally, it spotted Chelsea. Stopping about 10 meters away from the terrified mafia leader in training, it began to growl.

"W what do you want?" Chelsea asked, realizing Jedadiah was no longer with her. The centipede let out a piercing shriek, propelling itself forward. In one fluid motion, she plunged her hand deep inside Chelsea's chest. Coughing and sputtering, she looked down to assess the damage. Yes, she decided, she was going to die. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to look at the creature that had taken her life anymore.

After a few precious moments that felt like eternity, she reopened her eyes. The centipede was gone. The shack was closed. The hole in her chest was no longer there. The storm was completely erased, and the buildings were back to their old state.

"Why are you crying?" Jedadiah asked.

Chelsea turned and looked up into his eyes, shaking, "I don't really know, sir."

"It was the witch's magic, wasn't it?"

Chelsea looked back at the shed. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she decided that she had to meet this woman no matter what. What ever that thing was, it could have killed her if it wanted too. Obviously, this 'witch' was very powerful. Had this been what Mr. Sessh had meant when he said she needed protection?

"I'm sorry, Jedadiah. But I really have to investigate this," Chelsea said, wiping her tears. She began a brisk walk in the direction of the shed.

"Heed my warning! Don't let her into your mind, or you'll lose all perception!" he yelled after her.

When she was only a few feet away from the entrance, the doors slowly opened. Out stepped a woman that looked as if she was all business. Her hair was pulled back into a bun that was so tight it was probably cutting off circulation. On top of her head was a gray military hat. A matching gray military vest was her chosen top, not a single button out of place. A gray skirt was chosen as her bottom, without even a single wrinkle. Her shoes were two inch blue high heels that matched her blue nail polish and lip stick. On her left breast plate was about three medals of honor. I wonder what she had received those for, she thought. The only thing out of place on her whole body was a knife strapped to her left calf.

"E excuse me, are you Cat?" Chelsea asked, immediately stepping back.

"No. She's inside. I was merely looking for someone. Have you seen this person?" her voice reminded Chelsea of a robot. Reaching inside her bosom, she pulled out a folded up photo. Unfolding it with one hand, she held it out. The photo was of a young boy, at the most fourteen, in what appeared to be a mugshot. He was wearing a masculine version of the military outfit that this mysterious woman was wearing. His hair was the only noticeable thing about him, cut uniformly all around so that is covered his eyes.

"No. Should I keep a look out?"

"His name is Storm. Well, now he answers to Jack. If you see him, please contact the United States government. The C.I.A., the F.B.I., it doesn't matter. He is an extremely hostile individual."

The woman looked down at Chelsea's right hand, and noticed an orange jewled ring.

"I see, so you're the next in line for Tavola. Good luck. I have a feeling we'll meet again, very, very soon," the uptight woman's eyes softened, obviously amused that the child she was talking to was the holder of the Tavola ring. She walked past Chelsea,heading for a limo that was right behind hers.

"Wait! How do you know who I am? Who are you? And why are you looking for that boy?" Chelsea yelled after her.

The woman smirked, "My name is Rain. That's all you need to know. I'm sure my name will become one that you will become acquainted with."

Chelsea wanted to ask her more questions, but she had already disappeared into her limo.

Turning back to the shed, she reopened the doors that Rain had closed behind her. The room was pitch black, only slightly illuminated by the setting sun. She could make out movement, was it Cat? Seeing a movement that moved across the entire room and hearing a constant pitter patter, she realized what was moving. The centipede was back! Instinctively, she reached behind her to find nothing there. She had left her hula hoop in the limo. Not that it mattered, Reborn hadn't accompanied her. Her dieing will that saved her once before was no longer a factor.

Suddenly, two pillars ignited by the door way with a bright light. Then, two more, and two more. The torches lit up an entire path to the end of the room. The inside of the shed, Chelsea thought curiously, was somehow at least 30 times bigger than the shed itself. At the end of a pathway was a throne like chair, with a young girl stretched out across it. A large flame erupted behind the throne. The brilliant orange and reds soon faded into a wispy violet. Soon, the torches followed suit, dimming the room.

What little light was left cast a shadow from the girl all the way to Chelsea. The shadow appeared to peel itself from the ground. Wrapping its dark fingers around her neck, it gave a slight pull. In half a second, she fell to her knees in front of the throne. She gasped, shocked that some how she had moved such a distance.

The girl had pitch black hair that was much longer than Chelsea's. It stretched to her lower back. On top of her black head of hair were two, pointy purple cat ears. She was wearing a black, long sleeved dress. Draped over her dress was a white apron with shoulder frills. The apron tied behind her waste in a big, white bow. Underneath the bow was a black cats tail, about four feet long. On her wrists were white cuff links. The girl's dress poofed out from her hips, forming a bell. The lining of the dress was covered in more white frills. Instead of shoes, she wore black nylon stockings.

"Are you Cat?" Chelsea asked

"I am. Why am I graced with your presence, young Tavola?"

"How does everyone know who I am?"

Cat removed herself from her throne, striding towards Chelsea. She reached out with one hand, firmly grasping her chin. Tilting Chelsea's head side to side, she made no attempt to hide that she was examining her.

"I heard that the next in line for Tavola had been chosen. I didn't realize that she would be so..so frail," Cat said, pouting.

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you hear?" Cat ignored Chelsea, and stepped back up to her throne.

"I don't really know, I was told to find you," she confessed.

"Let me guess, you need your fortune told! You're unsure about your destiny and you need clarity for your own closure!" Cat leaned back in her chair, laughing.

"What are you talking about?" Chelsea looked back towards the direction of the door, wondering if she should just leave, but the door was completely gone.

"That's the only reason people ever come to see me. To tell their future," she said, smiling at Chelsea.

"What was that creature outside? The one that attacked me," Chelsea asked.

Cat looked puzzled for a moment, but then her smile returned. "That was nothing more than my conscious over powering yours. An illusion. Nothing more, nothing less."

"An illusion? So I was never in any real danger?"

"On the contrary, you were in a lot of danger. If your brain believes that you are freezing to death, it will shut down your organs. If your body believes you are burning to death it will begin sweating and dehydrate you. If your brain is told that your heart has been impaled, it will tell it to stop pumping blood. That is the power of illusions," Cat explained, almost proudly.

"So you were trying to kill me?"

"Like I said, it was only my conscious over powering yours. I didn't mean to do it, but the moment you set your thoughts on me, my self conscious viciously attacked. It's my fault I suppose, sometimes my illusions get a little out of control."

"Why is this village stuck in the 1800s?" Chelsea pressed on for more information.

"You know, I'm not entirely sure what time it is out there. But if I had to guess, I would say early 1700s. It's a curse, I'm afraid,"Cat said while sticking her hand out.

In her hand, an indigo ball of light materialized. The indigo ball began shining, engulfing the light in the room. Soon, a ring emerged from the ball. The ring hand a black,metallic band. Instead of a piece of jewelry, there was a very distorted clock.

"What the hell is that!" Chelsea gasped.

"It's called a hell ring, very much like your Tavola ring. However, Hell Rings were discovered much before people began using flames and rings in battle. This ring is called Soldato del Tempo, or Soldier of Time in English. It grants the user complete control over time. I stumbled over it quite a few years ago. The ring has suspended this village in time since it first arrived here, and unfortunately I don't have enough experience to propel the village through time. Or do anything for that matter. It's energies are very complex and I haven't been able to do much with it. Combining it with my psychic abilities allows me to look into the future of whoever I would like, however. Each hell ring has a curse, too. This ring's curse is agelessness."

"That doesn't sound much like a curse."

"You would think, wouldn't you? Enough questions though, you have a greater purpose here than just to ask me about my powers. Come, young Tavola, let me tell your future," Cat waved her hands.

Chelsea tried swallowing, realizing her throat was dry. She didn't want to admit it, but she was terrified. Her future, once so sure and defined, was now out of control with revelations. Stepping up to Cats throne, the witch reached out with both hands and began massaging her temples. After a few moments the 10th Tavola Candidate felt her eyes slowly closing. She wasn't willing them to, it must have been Cat's spell. As soon as they closed, she snapped them open. The scenery had completely changed.

Cat was no where to be seen. The shack was gone, replaced by a giant city scape. Something was wrong, however. The entire city was devoid of color. Most of the buildings were broken, completely leveled, or on fire. Something about the city was bothering her. It looked similar, what was left anyway. She began thinking, and then..

"Jesus Christ, it's Virginia Beach!"she screamed, stepping back. She didn't want to believe it, but the flames were dancing in front of her eyes. Was this really the fate of her city?

"Yes, it seems as if you have a direct impact in the events leading up to the end of the world."

Whipping her body around to see who had just spoken to her, she realized it was just Cat. She was staring into the sky, where a giant cloud resembling a skull was floating across the sky.

"You die in a few months" Cat said quietly.

"What! You're kidding! Because I decided to accept Tavola's candidacy!" she had to quit, she decided.

"No. If you hadn't allowed Reborn to train you, Oscurita would have risen even faster. Your limited abilities were able stall the evil, but they weren't enough. Soon, Oscurita over powered you and the rest of Tavola," Cat replied while continuing to stare at the sky.

"The future is changeable, right! I can stop this!" Chelsea could feel a lump forming in the back of her throat.

"As much as I would like to tell you yes, the future has already been written. Your destiny has been decided."

"W well, is there anything I can do?" she asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Well," Cat said while walking away, "it seems as though the next person important in your life is associated with scorpions."

The skies suddenly darkened. Green lighting burst from the sky, striking the few remaining sky scrapers. From the fires emerged hundreds of scorpions.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" Chelsea yelled, running to catch up with Cat.

"No. Odd, I can't see any farther into your future. You don't die for at least a few more weeks, I can't comprehend why your future is blank."

Cat waved her hand and the illusion dissolved into an indigo mist. Buildings and fires gave way to candles and wood floors. The illusionist's home had returned.

"Cat, I think I know why I was sent here. Please, will you join my mafia as a family member? Your abilities could possibly dent Oscurita's forces!" Chelsea pleaded, getting on her knees and bowing her head in front of Cat.

Simply smiling, she replied, "No. I have more important things to take care of than run around playing mafia. Now get up, the Tavola next in line shouldn't be groveling on the floor."

"You said it yourself! If I don't do something, Tavola will fall under Oscurita! I can't let that happen when Tavola will soon be serving me! Please!" Chelsea rose to her feet and grabbed onto Cat's shirt.

"Enough! I said no! Now leave!"

"But!"

"LEAVE!" Cat's voice boomed.

Placing her hand on Chelsea's chest, she tapped into her powers. Chelsea's body seemed to be lifted off the ground by an unseeable force. Suddenly, her body was thrown like a rag doll through the shed's door. She didn't stop there, however. Her body continued to fly until she smacked into her limo's door. The door opened and her body was forced inside. Finally, she reached into her psychic abilities one more time. She activated the main engines of the limo and slammed the pedal to the floor. The wheels went from zero to 60, speeding the town car away from the town.

"I can't possibly expect her to defeat Nero. I'll have to handle it by myself, " Cat said to herself, leaning on her shed.

"Well, well, sending off your only hope of survival, are we?"

Turning to her right, she noticed a frail looking man, holding a black bow and arrow.

"How the hell did you enter my village? Only those I permit may enter," she replied, narrowing her eyes.

"Heh, the black flame trumps your mist flame!" the man raised his bow, aiming it at her.

"I see. You must be one of Nero's henchman. I should have seen you coming weeks in advance," she observed, not moving.

"The future is changing, Holder of Mist. Not even your hell ring can predict the future when it's moving faster than the eye!" Pestilence let out a wheezed laugh.

"Don't lecture me about the rules of time. I am the Soldier of Time!" Cat spat back, showing anger.

"Then the Soldier of Time has been brought down a few notches since I last saw her. Child, don't lecture your elders!" Pestilence let the arrow fly. It sliced through the air, impaling Cat's chest. "Finally, one flame down."

"The hell are you talking about? I am the only Soldier of Time, the one this ring has chosen!" Cat stepped out of a shadow, revealing she had survived. "I won't allow you to take what is rightfully the Tavola's."

"The mist flame you wield belongs to Nero! The demon inside that ring chose you because of the powers that you hold! A combination of Nero's mist flame and Carmela's mist flame. Pure evil combined with pure evil. Once upon a time, that ring chose Tabitha. Nine generations before you, she was one of the most powerful women of her time. You pale in comparison to her!"

"Well if I am so weak compared to her, why is it you haven't been able to kill me yet!" Cat spat.

"Hesitate for even a second and you'll be dead!" Pestilence let lose with a barrage of arrows, each one hitting another clone of Cat.

"Well I guess it's time to fight back," Cat laughed, appearing behind Pestilence. She extended her right hand, materializing a black and white striped parasol in her hand. Opening it up in one swift motion, she aimed at Pestilence's back. A great white blizzard erupted from parasol, trapping him in a glacier.

Pestilence stood, frozen in place by the glacier. After a few moments, his eyes began to blink. A few more moments later, he was able to shift his arms. Using his undead strength, he shattered the glacier and fell to his knees.

"That's a pretty neat trick! But it's not enough," he laughed.

"I didn't think so," Cat closed her parasol and slammed the tip on the ground. A column of fire, lava, and rock erupted from underneath his feet, engulfing him. Pestilence was blown upwards from the force, but then once he regained his senses he flipped himself out of the column, landing a few yards away from Cat. His skin was smoking and red.

"Perhaps if I was a normal human, that might actually have killed me," he grimaced, staring at the blazing inferno from afar.

"Then perhaps I should cool you off!" she raised her parasol and a great blue wave rose from the grass behind her. The wave separated down the middle, streaming around Cat.

The separate steams attacked Pestilence from two sides, but not even that was enough. Pestilence's lithe body again flipped out of the way and he fired off a powered up arrow. Cat opened up her parasol, this time made of steel. The energy arrow harmlessly splashed off the surface, and she mutated the parasol into a blizzard.

"I'm ready this time!" Pestilence charged up a pure black arrow. Charging it with as much energy as he could before he let go of the string, he launched a super charged arrow at the incoming blizzard. Flames met snow and the two attacks negated each other, causing a fiery explosion!

Cat raised her left hand and her parasol, forming a psychic bubble around the explosion. The barrier cut off all oxygen to the raging fire, smothering it.

"I see. You must care a lot about this town to look away from a battle!" Pestilence exclaimed, pulling back his string once more. Like a missile, his next arrow flew through the air with an intended target. Instead of Cat, the arrow ignited the wooden roof of a cottage.

"You bastard! How dare you endanger innocent lives!" before she could raise another psychic barrier, however, she heard another explosion. Turning to her left, she saw that her shack and two other houses had been ignited. To her horror, she watched as an arrow tore through a window. Moments later, the entire house exploded, sending a giant fire ball into the air.

Then, her worst fear. She heard groaning. Had someone survived the explosion? Squinting her eyes, she gasped as she saw who was climbing out of the wreckage.

"J Jedadiah!" she almost ran to him, but she knew better. In all the years that she had been guarding the village absent of time, he was the only one who had kept her company. The only one that knew of her abilities. The only one that tried to protect her from the people she was protecting.

"Oh? He means something to you does he? Lets put him out of his misery!" Cat didn't even have to look to know what happened next.

"You're a monster," she said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"You're pathetic. The Soldier of Time I previously fought knew to keep her distance from people!" he said venomously while raising an arrow at Cat. "This will end it!"

"Stop right there!"

From the corner of his eye Pestilence noticed a flickering orange light. Instinctively, he jumped out of the way just in time to avoid a flaming hula hoop. Grass ignited and dirt flew as the hoop tore across the ground before flying back to its owner. Catching it in mid flight was Chelsea Tavola, her dieing will flame ignited.

"C Chelsea!" Cat gasped.

"I was finally able to stop the car and turn it around once we got to the next city. If you hadn't sent her away in the first place, I don't think you'd be in this predicament," Reborn said, stepping from behind Chelsea.

"I know you don't think I'm worthy of holding the title of 10th, but I have to try and defeat Nero!" Chelsea yelled.

Narrowing her eyes, Cat said, "This man is strong."

"I know, I've fought him before. I guess that means we'll have to work together," Chelsea smiled, raising her hoop above her head.

"Excuse me! Did you forget I was here!" Pestilence growled, firing off an arrow at the two.

With a firm toss she whipped her hoop across the field. It kicked off heat as it ignited, colliding with the arrow. The hoop and arrow caused a great explosion, creating a diversion for Pestilence.

"That won't work!" Pestilence fired a single arrow into the sky. It exploded in a similar fashion to a firework, raining multiple arrows on the two. Their screams were cut off as they burned into dust.

"Perfect," he smiled, taking a step towards the pile of ashes.

Suddenly, he heard something. Turning to his left, he almost screamed as he realized Chelsea was right above him, hoop in hand. She brought the hoop down with all her might, intending to use the flames to slice through his body. Pestilence saw through the attack and summoned an energy arrow into his right hand to use as a sword and block the attack.

"That was an illusion!"

Then, he sensed another presence behind him. Cat appeared out of thin air, holding her parasol. Pressing a button on the handle extended a small blade out of the tip of her parasol. She then lunged forward in an attempt to cut his spine.

"Damn it all!" Pestilence used all his strength to knock Chelsea's armed hand away, then slammed his elbow into her stomach, launching her through the air. In a single fluent move he ducked under Cat's blade, then sent his foot up into her neck. Before she could even attempt to gasp for hair he had already retracted his leg and sent his foot flying again into her stomach. Next, he stood up and twisted his body around, slamming his right fist into her chest, sending her flying into a near by cottage.

"I've probably killed more people in my life time than you people have met! I won't allow you two to get the better of me!" he powered up another arrow and fired it at Cat's head.

"Cat!" Chelsea screamed.

The illusionist opened her eyes at the sound of her name and noticed the energy arrow zooming towards her. Oddly, the arrow was traveling at a snails pace. Before she could register what was happening, she tilted her head to the side. The arrow missed her head and sliced through the building behind her, probably killing another civilian.

"What was that?" before she could utter another word she clutched her chest in pain.

"Are you okay!"

"Y yeah, I've had heart problems since I was little, but these attacks usually only happen when I look into the future," Cat replied. Then, a sudden realization hit her. Had that been an alteration of time!

Chelsea looked at her hoop and noticed that the flame had gone out out. She then heard a sizzling noise that could only mean her dieing will flame had dissolved away.

"Oh oh no, my dieing will flame," she gasped.

"Ha! It seems your abilities will be much weaker now, probably non existent!" Pestilence laughed, raising an arrow.

"I won't let you hurt her!" Cat screamed, standing up. Her body began glowing indigo and she closed her eyes in concentration. Suddenly, she opened them, and all at once a psionic blast of energy ripped through Pestilence. His body began disolving into black flames before disapearing completely.

"D did I kill him?" Cat asked.

"No, he'll be back. His body runs on dieing will flames. He won't die until his dieing will is completed, or his flame is used up," Reborn said, jumping onto Chelsea's shoulder.

"Thanks, Cat. For saving me." Chelsea said, looking at her feet.

"What was he after, anyways?" Cat asked.

"Your dieing will flame, which was passed down through generations. Yours is of the mist variety. Retrieving it is the only way he can revive Nero and gain revenge on Tavola," Reborn explained.

"Mist flame?" Cat asked.

"The source of your illusions. There are seven different types of flames, yours is mist. Each flame has its own characteristic, the mist's characteristic is creation. Chelsea's flame is the sky flame, which has the characteristic of harmonization. We must find the other five holders of the flames of Nero and teach them how to protect Chelsea and their flame. Cat, will you become Chelsea's mist guardian?" Reborn reached under his hat and pulled a ring with an indigo jewel that covered a phoenix insignia.

Nervously, Cat reached out and picked up the ring. Slipping it on, she said, "I guess I should. If this can possibly prevent the end of the world I.."

"It will!" Chelsea said, throwing her fist in the air. "I won't stop fighting until Nero is gone for good!"

"Chelsea, Cat, get in the car," Reborn said smiling. "There's been some activity in Detroit, Michigan that I want to check out."


	6. Chapter 6

"Don't worry, Mr. Jon. I've made sure that there is no possible way that anyone can enter this building without his own personal army. I've hired at least 200 guards and bought the best security system currently available. I've hooked up security cameras looking at every square inch of this building. In every stair case is a motion detector attached a wall mounted machine gun. The elevator has been disconnected. Your building has been surrounded by a fenced perimeter, complete with attack dogs and navy seal level guards. On top of your building is a sniper with his rifle aimed at the only entrance to the gate, which is an electric. 100,000 volts to be precise," said a tall, black man. He was at least seven feet tall. A commando suit held back his bulging muscles, and bright lights reflected off his bald head.

"Mr. McNeil, that sounds like it cost a lot of money," Mr. Jon. said, exhaling the smoke from his cigar as soon as he pulled it into his mouth. He was a great deal smaller than Mr. McNeil. He was only six feet tall, and his muscles were almost non existent. Instead of a commando suit, he wore a plain blue suit and tie. Obviously dressed for business, he wasn't too happy about this sudden mess.

"Do you want to stay alive?" the black man said, letting out a hearty laugh.

Mr. Jon stood up from his chair and walked over to the only window in the room. It was rather large and practically covered the entire wall. Below him was a magnificent sight. His building was in the middle of downtown Detroit, and although the skyline wasn't comparable to New York or Chicago, it was decent in its own right. Old and new buildings were all around him, but his own 20 story tall business complex was probably the highlight of the city.

"I guess you're right. The bounty on my head is probably worth a lot more after, anyways Who did you say had picked up the bounty?"

"He goes by Scorpio," the man's voice rumbled through the room. "He's probably the most skilled assassin in the United States. He hasn't messed up on a kill, not even once."

"Those are some pretty scary statistic," Mr. Jon said while flicking his ashes onto the floor.

"That's not the scary part. He's only 16."

"16! I'm being hunted down by a kid! Why the hell did I hire someone like you! I should have hired a babysitter!"

"I wouldn't treat this matter lightly, Mr. Jon. There is a very high possibility that you might die today," Mr. McNeil chuckled.

"If you weren't 100 percent positive that you could stop him, why did my advisers tell me to higher you?" Mr Jon narrowed his eyes. "This is my city. I run the drugs. I run the human trafficking. I run the everything. So why does this little squirt think he can come in here and try and take that from me?"

"That's exactly why some one wanted you dead," Mr McNeil smiled, showing off perfect, white teeth. "You were told to hirer me because I'm the only one to see Scorpio and live."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The behemoth of a man turned his head to the right, revealing a white patch of scar tissue on his left cheek.

"I was hired to ensure the survival of a gang leader in San Francisco. Unfortunately, the hit man hired was Scorpio. I took him lightly like you are now. He cut sliced my guards like butter. I've never seen someone move so fast and kill so.. so..Robotically. It's as if it was second nature to him. When he finally got to me, he shot at my temple. Fortunately I'm at least a foot taller than the average male. He missed and shot me through the cheek. I have a feeling that he knew I was alive. And for some reason, he let me live."

"Why do you think that is?" Mr Jon asked, taking another drag of his cigar.

"I'm not sure. Maybe he thought I was an opponent worthy of facing again."

"How does a child become so well tuned at killing?"

"I'd imagine something drove him to it."

Mr. Jon turned from his window and walked over to his desk. No sooner did he sit down did he hear a barrage of gun fire outside. Launching himself into the air, he ran to the window to see what happened.

"M my God..! Everyone's dead!"

Mr. McNeil walked up behind him and smiled. 20 stories down, the ground was littered with the bodies of dead people and attack dogs. The sniper fell off the roof and passed by the window, screaming the entire way down. Running for the door was a boy, about 16, in a leather suit. Smiling, he took the cigar from Mr. Jon and took a long drag from it, before stomping it out on the floor.

"It seeeeeeeeeeeems, Mr Jon, that he's arrived."

Gun shots rang out from the door leading to the stair case. The motion sensors, Mr. McNeil thought. Suddenly, they stopped. Was Scorpio dead? No. That would be too easy. Then, he heard a sharp noise as the door to the elevator sprang to life. There was a light at the top of the elevator that was tracking its progress.

"The elevator! How did he activate the elevator!" Mr. Jon screamed.

"Calm down! He's mine!" Mr. McNeil rushed over to a table on the other side of the room and picked up too machine guns, one for each hand. Then, he planted himself firmly in front of the elevator door.

15Th floor, 16th floor, 17th, 18th, 19th. 20!

Mr. McNeil Pointed at the elevator doors with his guns and let all hell loose. Bullet after bullet punched a hole through the steel doors. After about 30 seconds, his entire ammunition had been emptied into the elevator. Then, something unexpected happened. The doors began to open.

"No!" his big voice bellowed. He reached behind him and unsheathed two samurai swords. In the blink of an eye he launched one as if it was merely a dart at the elevator control panel. It became lodged inside, short circuiting the doors, leaving only enough room for a single person to enter. Mr McNeil then unhooked a flash grenade from his belt and through it into the small opening. A sudden flash and bang erupted in the small elevator.

"That would have knocked anyone unconscious," he said, grabbing his remaining sword in both hands. He assumed a position of a master martial artist, fully prepared to fight for his life. Mr. Jon sat under his desk, shaking.

"I is he dead?" Mr. Jon asked.

Mr. McNeil squinted his eyes, peering inside the half open elevator, "No. I don't believe he is."

Suddenly, a light inside the elevator was knocked loose, falling too the floor. A young boy fell from the ceiling before charging through the doors at an incredible speed. Mr. McNeil raised his sword in a futile attempt to strike down the assassin, but the killer was two fast. He raised his right hand, holding a pistol with a silencer attached. Pulling the trigger 15 times, he unloaded the barrel into the large man's torso, hitting as many organs as possible. Mr. McNeil fell to the ground with a large thud, shaking the room.

The boy had coarse black hair, cut short. He was wearing tight, black leather pants, black commando style shoes, and a leather vest zipped up to his chest. On the back of his vest was a green scorpion in the shape of the constellation Scorpio. Wrapped around his mouth was a green bandana, obscuring most of his face. On his right pant leg was a holster designed to hold a pistol, and hooked on the back of his pants was a coiled up, steel chain. Although he had a boyish face, he was at least six feet tall.

"It seems as if I have to kill you now, Mr. Jon," the man said, lowering his bandana to reveal his face. Steel hit tile as he emptied the cartridge of his gun, replacing it with a fully loaded one. Then, he lowered his right hand and aimed his pistol at the cowering man's forehead.

"W who are you!" Mr. Jon replied, raising his hands above his head.

"I'm sure Mr. McNeil warned you about me. Isn't it obvious? I'm the legendary Scorpio.

"There was at least 200 guards!"

"It's a shame that they had to die, really. I'm sure most of them had a wife and kids. They wouldn't have had to sacrifice themselves if you hadn't hired them to protect your meager life. I hope you think about that when you pass into the next life."

"Please! I'll pay you more than my bounty!"

"That's tempting, but it would make me feel a lot better about myself if I took your sorry ass off the streets," Scorpio smiled, a genuine, warm smile. Mr. McNeil's eyes softened as he realized that the man about to kill him was still just a kid.

"Tell me, what business does a kid have with a gun in his hand? Why do you do what you do?"

"Money. Isn't that why anyone does anything?" Scorpio replied, placing his finger on the trigger.

"Then why won't you let me buy you out?"

"Simply because if I let money out rank my morals, well, I wouldn't be very human would I?"

Scorpio clenched his teeth as he sensed another presence behind him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the attack coming. He managed to jump out of the way just in time to witness the tile he had just been standing on shatter into tiny fragments. The most shocking part was that he had only dodged a fist. Raising his gun to protect him self, a large black hand knocked it across the room. The fist that had moments before created a crater had already recovered and was flying towards him at an amazing speed. Unable to dodge in mid air, a fist as large as his torso slammed into his body, throwing him like a rag doll into a wall.

The boy slowly crawled to his knees, and then to his feet. The room was spinning around him, no doubt from hitting his head. Blood was dripping down to the floor, probably from when he bit his lip. And then there was his chest. An unmistakeable pain that he had felt many times before. He had a broken rib. That was no doubt from the behemoth of a fist striking him down, he thought. Eventually his vision refocused and he could get a good look at his attacker.

"Mr. McNeil," he wheezed, feeling a sharp pain with every intake of breath, "how did you survive 15 bullet wounds?"

"A bullet proof vest!" the man's laughter shattered the air. He reached up to his vest and pulled out a crushed bullet, flicking it through the air.

"I should have suspected a master of security would wear something like that. I guess I've gotten careless."

"Indeed. The last time we fought, you left me barely alive. Ever since then I've been training for this day!"

"I see. I give you generosity and you return the favor by crushing a rib!" Scorpio yelled, getting into a defensive position.

"Ha! Generosity? Why don't you tell me the real reason you left me alive?"

Scorpio smirked, "I didn't feel like you deserved to die."

"What? Are you God? Who gave you the right to decide who deserves to live or die!" Mr. McNeil screamed.

Scorpio lowered his head and stared at the ground, "Anyone who holds a gun spits in the face of God. Anyone in our line of work knows that."

He raised his head with a new look of determination. Covering the distance between them in a few, quick paces. He slammed his fist into Mr. McNeil's solar plexus, but to his surprise, the man didn't budge. Mr. McNeil grabbed him by the arm and swung him over his head before slamming him into the floor. Then, his large hand wrapped around Scorpio's head. Lifting him up again, Mr. McNeil threw Scorpio as hard as he could into the large window. Scorpio's body spider webbed the glass, but he didn't puncture it.

"Face it. Without that pistol you're helpless. I wonder if there is a bounty on your head? I'll make sure to cut it off as proof!"

"Y you're a monster," Scorpio whispered lightly as he slid off the surface of the window. "I've fought big behemoth men like you before. I. Never. Fail."

"Shut your mouth!" Mr McNeil charged at Scorpio as if he was a professional football player. However, Scorpio was expecting this. The young assassin jumped up, clearing Mr. McNeil's body. He then initiated a front flip, using the moment to deliver a high powered kick to the back of his head. Mr. McNeil couldn't stop himself, and he charged through the already damaged glass.

"It's been nice. Good bye, old friend," Scorpio whispered as he landed on his feet, turning to look out the open window.

Then, his worst fear. He could see a hand grasping firmly onto the edge of the building. Using all his strength, Mr. McNeil pulled himself away from certain death.

"It's funny how you referred to me as an old friend. You don't have any friends do you!" he grinned, letting out another hearty laughed.

"Your laugh bothers me. I guess it's time to get serious," Scorpio sighed, straightening out his posture. His brown eyes glazed over, losing their boyish charm. A spark ignited over his forehead, before growing into a mass of green electricity.

"Dieing will mode!" Mr. McNeil gasped. "How did you..? No.. This is different. Hyper Dieing Will Mode."

"Correct. I've wasted too much time with you Mr. McNeil. Good bye."

"Damn you! Damn you! DAMN YOU!"

The large man lost complete composure as he charged at Scorpio once more. Scorpio ducked away from the punch as if it was second nature. Spinning on the balls of his feet as he stood back up, he hit Mr. McNeil square in the chest with a spinning back hand punch with his left hand. Rotating his body a full 360 degrees, he then used his right hand to deliver another impact to the same spot. Then, he jumped above Mr. McNeil and rotated his body once more, dropping the entire weight of his leg onto his skull. Stumbling backwards, Mr. McNeil screamed as his body shook with pain.

"I won't make the mistake of letting you live again," Scorpio shouted. He reached behind him and unhooked his chain, letting it unravel through the air. At the end of the chain was a small blade. Green electricity crawled across the chain, coating it with a powerful current.

"Do you know what a dieing will flame is, Mr. McNeil? There are seven different types. My type is lightning. The lightning flame is a very interesting type of flame, because it isn't much of a flame at all. It's lightning. Pure lightning. And it has the attribute of solidification. This steel chain conducts the power of the lightning through it. The chain's molecules become so tightly compacted together that it becomes harder than diamond. Then, the lightning begins heating it up and vibrates the steel, allowing it to slice through anything. It's a magnificent killing weapon. Don't worry, you won't feel a thing. Scorpione Sciopero!" Scorpio flicked his wrist and the chain sliced through the air at least 15 times, tearing Mr. McNeil to shreds. His lightning flame faded away moments later.

"A are you going to kill me?" Mr. Jon asked, grabbing the arms of his leather chair.

"No," Scorpio said, reaching into his leather jacket and pulling out a small, plastic box.

"That's a very smart move! A kid like you wouldn't last two minutes in prison. If you leave now I won't call the cops," Mr. Jon smiled, slowly reaching under his desk.

Scorpio walked behind Mr. Jon and was silent for a few moments. Eventually, he reapeared infront of the desk. He turned his back to Mr. Jon and began heading for the door.

"Put your hands up!" Mr. Jon shouted, revealing a tiny pistol.

Scorpio turned around, amused, "Have you ever fired a bullet before, Mr. Jon?"

"Yes! And I'm not above shooting a kid!"

"Check your shoulder, Mr. Jon. Good day," Scorpio's smirk faded as he turned and headed for the window.

Mr. Jon looked down at his shoulder and almost screamed as he realized there was a tiny scorpion on his shoulder. When had..? The box! In the back of his mind he could remember something about the smaller the scorpion, the more potent the venom. That was the last thought that he could manifest before the scorpion's stinger pierced his jugular, pumping his body full of venom.

"You're not worthy of my weapon or a quick death," Scorpio said, jumping out the window. As soon as he had excited the building, he flicked his wrist. His metal chain wrapped around a flag pole and he used the moment of the fall to swing onto a near by roof top.

"Another murder, another dollar," Scorpio looked back at the building, before heading off to collect his money.

After completing his business, he headed home. His job allowed him to live a small life of luxury as he was living in a small mansion on the outskirts of Detroit. It wasn't anything too fancy, but it did make him feel a little better about his choice of career. The house was two stories, with about 10 different bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen, a family room, a dining room, and a living room. Not that he needed that much space, it was just him and his mom.

As soon as he entered his home he went straight for his bathroom. Stripping down, he set his shower to the hottest setting he could then stepped in. He hissed as the water scalded his body, washing away dried blood. The water turned pink as his wounds reopened. From somewhere on his body a crushed bullet fell, rolling town the tub.

"Damn it!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the tiled wall. The wall cracked, and so did his knuckles. Blood ran down from the hole, left over from his fist.

"I was careless! I need to focus more!" the boy brought back his fist, slamming it over and over again into the wall.

Cold air met his red skin as he excited the shower. Stepping in front of the mirror, he stared at himself. Eventually his skin faded into a nice tan, but most of his body was either red, black, or blue.

"I'm a God damn mess," he groaned, opening his mirror, revealing several pain medications. He reached for a bottle of vicodin, chewing them up like candy.

After cleaning up, he went across the hall to his room. Quickly pulling on a pair of jeans and a green hoody, he rushed down the hallway to another bed room.

"Mom! I'm home. Just a couple more jobs and your chemo will be paid for!" he shouted, happily.

"I wish you wouldn't do these things, I don't want you ending up like your father," she replied. She was a woman in her 40s, tucked neatly into a king sized bed. Her hair was long and brown, but fading to grey, and her skin was very pale.

"No other jobs pay as well as mine do. And I am not so weak that I'd be killed," he replied, turning around, "I'm going out for some coffee."

Without another word, he left. At almost 10 o'clock at night, he'd be lucky if he could find a coffee shop open. Eventually, he settled on a small little diner. Seating himself, he ordered a small cup of coffee.

When it arrived, he placed his spoon inside and began stirring. He winced as the scraping metal reminded him of how many people had died screaming by his own hand. After several long moments, he brought the cup up to his lips, nearly spitting it out as he did. He had been thinking for too long, his coffee had gone cold.

"Damn it!" he shouted, reaching into his hoodie and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Placing one up to his lips, he lit it, inhaling the harsh smoke.

"Smoking? You sure have become a mess, Tom," said a voice from behind him.

"I hope you're ready to die. The fact that you know my real name sealed your fate," Scorpio replied,

"Turn around. I don't think you should be threatening me."

Tom, turned around, dropping his mouth in shock as he realized the man talking to him was a baby, surrounded by a junk yard.

"R Reborn! An illusion?" Tom gasped.

Suddenly, two girls revealed themselves, hidden by the shadows of wrecked and aged cars. The two girls were about the same height. One had short, blonde hair, wearing a white dress spotted with pink flowers. The other had long, black hair. She had a black, frilly skirt, a black top with white, frilly shoulder pads, and black high heeled boots. Tom noticed one particular feature on the blonde haired girl, a Tavola sky ring.

"I should have known this day would eventually come," Tom said, gritting his teeth.

"And what day is that?" Reborn asked.

"The day that you came to kill me, like how you killed my father," Tom reached down to his right pant leg to grab his pistol, but it wasn't there. "Heh, it looks as if you have a pretty strong illusionist with you."

"Your father attempted a hit on the 9th, that isn't why we're here." Reborn replied.

"Then why are you here?"

"I came to ask for your help.

"Why would I help you! You must be insane!"

"Because if you help me, I'll have the Tavola pay for your mother's chemo. You won't have to kill anymore."

Tom was speechless. After years of murdering people in cold blood, he could stop just like that. Did Reborn realize the cost? Of course he did, Tom thought, an international mafia had more than enough money.

"I'm listening," Tom said with a sigh.

"I need you to teach this girl how to go directly into hyper dieing will mode," Reborn stepped to the side, focusing his attention on Chelsea.

"W what's hyper dieing will mode? I thought you came here to investigate something," Chelsea said.

"This is going to be the new Tavola leader? Tavola has become a joke," Tom laughed.

"I'm going to save the world! Dick!" Chelsea yelled back.

"Save the world?" Tom narrowed his eyes.

"An old adversary has reared his face again. He's more powerful than anything the Tavola has faced in a long time. His name is Nero, and he's after his flames that were stolen from him and passed down by the boss's guardians. Achieving hyper dieing will mode is perhaps Chelsea's only way to defeat him. Come to think of it, you'd be a great alley. You could join Tavola if you wanted," Reborn explained.

"You're kidding right? Our deal is for a simple lesson, nothing more. Afterwards, I don't want to have anything else to do with Tavola!" clenching his fists, Tom spoke with an aggressive tone.

"I thought as much, very well."

"You, Chelsea and her guardian can come stay at my house for the time being. Are you sure she can handle it?" Tom asked, turning around.

"It doesn't matter, she has to."


End file.
